Secretary Michael Wynne says nonlethal weapons should be tested on U.S. civilians before being used on the battlefield.

Air Force chief: Test weapons on testy U.S. mobs
POSTED: 7:56 p.m. EDT, September 12, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nonlethal weapons such as high-power microwave devices should be used on American citizens in crowd-control situations before being used on the battlefield, the Air Force secretary said Tuesday.

The object is basically public relations. Domestic use would make it easier to avoid questions from others about possible safety considerations, said Secretary Michael Wynne.

"If we're not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation," said Wynne. "(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press."

The Air Force has paid for research into nonlethal weapons, but he said the service is unlikely to spend more money on development until injury problems are reviewed by medical experts and resolved... [thanks to Chicago Dyke for the link]

This stuff is real and likely to be used on Democratic protesters sooner or later.

Now what makes me think, with toys like this, and Halliburton detention camps out west built for the Department of Homeland Security, that Bu$hCo/ Cheneyburton is planning on giving us all something to be testy about?

Over at Defense Tech they think this means the Air Force is looking for an excuse to can this turkey, possibly because the device is too slow to use effectively as a weapon. On the other hand, if you had told a lot of people 10 years ago it would be possible to project microwaves like this, they would have told you it couldn't be done. Big crowds can't move quickly, and if Dear Leader had a broadcast pain device and wasn't too picky about the side effects, it might become a motivational tool for the 21st Century.